By Chris Reykdal
Washington state’s public schools continue to improve student achievement outcomes for students. We have hit an all-time high on our graduation rates, and students continue to expand course-taking and learning in rigorous subjects. We are a top tier state in math and English language arts based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the national assessment that compares the 50 states with reliability. However, the opportunity in every community is not equal.
Our schools fund enrichment activities with local levies — an essential part of the overall school finance system. However, for rural timber counties, there remains an unequal treatment that we can solve in this year’s legislative session. When urban and suburban counties grow economically, they get the benefit of a higher tax base. This can either grow their local revenues or, at a minimum, lower their tax rates to generate the same amount of local levy money.
In timber counties, however, it has been a standard practice of the Legislature to deduct the value of local levy collections derived from timber harvests from a school district’s budget. My office reversed this practice with authority that I am granted in the rulemaking process.
Unfortunately, that decision is always at risk unless the Legislature makes a permanent change to the law. House Bill 2791 and its companion Senate Bill 6573, sponsored by local Sen. Kevin Van de Wege and Reps. Steve Tharinger, Mike Chapman, Jim Walsh and Brian Blake, would allow school districts to permanently benefit from timber harvests. These dollars are flexible and they can support a wide range of needs, including classroom instruction, safety enhancements, and facility maintenance.
Our rural communities are always at a disadvantage when it comes to generating enrichment dollars for schools. We should do everything we can to ensure they keep the benefits derived from their dependence on natural resources. Every child in this state deserves a world class education, and we can take a step in the right direction by passing HB 2791 or SB 6573.
Chris Reykdal is Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
